


That's what friends are for...

by TheNextPage



Series: Draxlembe / The PSG Prompt Page [8]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Prompt Fill, frienship fic, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 18:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17188121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNextPage/pseuds/TheNextPage
Summary: When Neymar tries to cheer up Cavani...





	That's what friends are for...

He was upset. That much was clear.

Edinson was usually quiet, leaving it to the Kimpembe’s, Nkunku’s and others to be the training ground entertainment. He smiled often, swapping Spanish with Di Maria, brushing up on his French and picking up the occasional Portuguese from Neymar and Alves. But he was upset. And Neymar took it upon himself to cheer him up.

Day 1: Neymar arrived to training with doughnuts adorned in the Uruguayan colours. That plan was instantly foiled – inadvertently and entirely by chance – by Di Maria who proclaimed the sky blue, white stripes and blob of sunny yellow were obviously a nod at the Argentine flag. He smiled, clapping Neymar on the back and thanking him for being so mindful, although today was not a particular Argentine special day. 

Everyone teased him for the rest of the day that he was missing Leo. Cavani laughed along, but the joy barely reached his eyes. 

 

Day 2: Neymar took it upon himself to be more direct with his attempts at bolstering his friend’s sprits. He sidled up beside him in the locker room, trying to get a read on what exactly the matter was. 

“So Edi, what’s been up? How are you doing?”

“Good good Ney. What’s good with you? Any Christmas plans?”

Ney took a breath to begin recounting all his plans, but remembered this was about Edi.

“A few. Maybe I’ll go home.” Neymar had to raise his voice a little, the changing room was thrumming with noise and activity. “But I was thinking about you…” he called out loudly, in the middle of a quiet lull.

There was a beat of silence as Cavani stared back at him in silence. A nervous cough was heard in the silence, cleats rushing across the tiled floor.

“Well I’ll be damned. I thought Drax and Kimpembe would out their relationship first. Who had Edi and Ney in the pool?” A voice called out across the locker room.

There was a rumble of laughter and demands for winnings to be paid out. 

Cavani blushed, scratching at this nape. “Don’t mind them. I’m ok Ney. Nothing to worry about.”

Across the locker room, Draxler started laughing with Kimpembe beside him. “Who started the pool?” Pres asked, trying to glare menacingly around the locker room, managing to look as fierce as a kitten.

 

Day 3: Unlike every other day, Cavani arrived at training positively incandescent in rage. He brushed off all greetings, barely manufacturing anything beyond a pained grimace.

“Edi, if you want to start with…” the team psychologist was hovering by the door.

“No, it’s fine. Training will be fine.”

Neymar was curious as to what the fuss was.  
It was only later, through hushed whispers and puzzled conversation, did he discover that Edi had a mortal fear of clowns. He instantly regretted sending a singing clown troupe candy-gram to Cavani’s apartment earlier that morning.

 

Day 4: After training, it was agreed that they would all meet at Di Maria’s for a barbeque dinner. Ney was entirely defeated, and had decided to abandon any roundabout attempts at raising Cavani’s hopes. He decided to rely on liquor, good food and friends.

As the filet was being craved up, chimichurri being served up alongside the succulent cuts, he found himself standing behind his teammate whose seeming anguish had barely abated all week.

“Edi, good barbeque no?”

“Angel has a gift. So good.  
How are you? You’ve been preoccupied this week.”

Neymar scoffed, almost unbelieving that he would note that but seemingly be unaware that he was the focus of Neymar’s concerns.

“I’ve been preoccupied worrying about you. You’ve been off. I was worried. I was trying to help, quietly. But that didn’t seem to work. So now I’m just asking: what’s been up?”

Cavani chuckled. “I was wondering why you were being so odd towards me. Floating around me all the time, beating around the bush. You should have just asked.”

They moved to sitting down to eat, before Edi continued, “It’s Luiz. Your national teammate David. We were such great friends whilst he was still here. Then he moved and you may not know it, but his comments about the club…he burnt bridges really. And I thought maybe that was just loyalty to his returning club, and I was sure we’d be cool, regardless of where he moved to. But I texted him recently, not a word back. Not a response, nothing.”

“So you’ve been upset because he left you on read?” Neymar was disappointed. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected, but he was looking for something more meaningful than an unreplied-to text.

“It sounds petty and small. Maybe I don’t have the words to explain it properly. But he was a good close friend. And suddenly it’s just quiet.” Cavani shrugged, taking a bite of his dinner.

Ney chewed thoughtfully, realising he had in fact just chatted to some of his close cohorts from Barca days. Leo had even made plans for their sons to spend time together over the holidays.  
He would have been crushed by silence. He considered his friend for a moment, before turning conversation to the upcoming holidays, resolved on a better plan.

 

Days Later: Cavani bounded into Camp Loges, a broad smile across his face. He made a beeline to Ney who was seemingly contemplating between the cereal versus fruit salad for breakfast, a sincerely puzzled look on his face.

“Frero,” Edi grabbed Ney, beaming such happiness and joy. “It was you huh! You said something to Luiz?!”

Edi scooped him up in a fierce hug, laughing heartily.

“I know it was you. And now we have plans for Christmas, so easy, like he’s still here, like we did years ago. Best Christmas gift Ney. Thank you!”

Neymar smiled shyly, almost forgetting his dilemma about breakfast foods for a moment. He started stuttering for a moment, considering how to accept this exuberant thanks. Instead he smiled back, childish innocence and serene mirth colouring his features.


End file.
